Chipper reminisces about Philadelphia and the fans

Posted by Mandy Housenick | September 21, 2012 at 06:16 PM

A few minutes after Chipper Jones made the slow walk into the clubhouse and plopped down in his chair in front of his locker, a reporter asked if the veteran, who broke into the big leagues with the Braves in 1993, was at all, even for an instant, considering coming back next year.

“Did you see me walk in here? I’m in a lot of pain today. It’s time,” said Jones, who plays in Philadelphia for the last time this weekend. “I’m happy that I’ve played well. I’m happy I’ve produced when I’m in there, but it’s time to go.

“No. The answer is no.”

None of that pain, though, has erased the countless memories he’s amassed during his career, and more than a few of those memorable moments have come in Philadelphia.

The first moment he mentioned was when then Phillies closer Mitch Williams struck out Atlanta’s Bill Pecota to end Game 6 of the NLCS. Jones, a rookie that year, watched it unfold from the dugout, and then got the aftertaste of the Phillies’ monumental win.

“I can remember leaving the Vet and all the fans outside the stadium almost tipped our bus over,” he said. “It was a little intro into what Philly fans were all about.”

Jones also recounted playing at Veteran Stadium in the first game back after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He homered in his first at-bat against Robert Person. The 40-year-old also said facing pitchers said as Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Curt Schilling and Cole Hamels have helped make him the hitter he is today.

“I cherish and savor all my ABs against Doc, Cole and Cliff and Schilling back in the day,” h e said. “That’s how you make a name for yourself, just going out and putting up good ABs against guys like that. They’re the best in the business and they’ve not made it easy for us in the recent past.”

Jones’ days at the Vet and Citizens Bank Park have been filled with boos and taunts of “Larry. Larry.” He could have venom for the fans here. He could talk about not liking having played in 243 games in Philadelphia.

That’s not the case, though.

“When you come up here and play in the Northeast, these people are avid sports fanatics,” Jones said. “Whether in New York or Philadelphia or Boston, you know that they have their team’s best interests at heart. Until you get that 27th out, you’ve got work hard to keep them quiet.

“We want to go out and play on the biggest stages in front of hostile crowds and prove we can be successful in doing so and Philly has certainly offered me that opportunity.”

Clearly, these fans haven’t bothered Jones one bit. He’s hit .350 (77-for-220) with 13 home runs in 62 games at the Vet. At Citizens Bank Park, he’s a career .304 hitter (59-for-194) with 11 home runs in 57 games.

Against the Phillies, the third baseman has a career OPS of 1.041, the highest among any National League opponent. His OPS is higher against only the Twins (1.369) and the Rays (1.219), teams he’s played just a combined 27 games against. But he’s faced the Phillies 243 times.

“He goes somewhere up top because he’s been a tremendous player,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said of where Jones ranks all-time among third basemen. “His numbers speak for themselves. More than likely, he’s going to be in the Hall of Fame.”

Before the game, Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley presented Jones with a painting of him swinging at Citizens Bank Park. The trio posed for pictures and exchanged hugs before Jones waved to the crowd, who was clapping for him, and walked back to the dugout.

Jones will be remembered as one of the greatest switch hitters of all time. He's a career .304 hitter with 468 home runs and 1,621 RBIs in 2,489 games, all with the Braves. But Jones' career will end after this season.

"I'm sure he's wondering what it's going to be like and is worried about not liking [being retired]," Manuel said. "I bet it was a tough decision."